Cocktails in the Cul de Sac

The History of Alcohol in the context of SHNV

Why write an essay on alcohol, out of all the other historical forces in 1953? Alcohol plays an important part in the lives of the twelve Housewives, not just the alcoholic Three. Alcohol is the intoxicating drug most well-known and accepted to this group. In fact, alcohol is an ancient drug, perhaps as ancient as our primate ancestors. It has been used in rituals from the beginning, from the Ancient Egyptians’ Festival of Drunkenness to Christianity’s Holy Communion. The fight to ban alcohol has shaped the history of the United States. At the time of the booze-filled 4th of July Party in SHNV, it had been almost twenty years since the Repeal of Prohibition. The oldest Housewife, Six, was almost seven when Prohibition took effect. The youngest Housewife, Twelve, was four when Prohibition was repealed. No matter the age or if they were born in the United States, Prohibition did effect them. In addition, the lives of women and people perceived as women as been closely tied with the production, distribution, and consumption of alcohol. It has often been taboo for people assigned female to drink, but that has not stopped them.

Now, this essay will not tell the exact history that happened in the world of SHNV. I will write an in-universe history of the Prohibition later. The basic historical events are the same. The Eighteenth and Twenty-First Amendments happened in that world as they happened in our world, but the circumstances of it are different and weirder. In this essay, I am writing the history of our world to put this world into perspective. The same goes for all my other essays.